Everything and everyone was excellent. The food, atmosphere, our server, and The Ford Project.

Put our name on the waitlist at 5:45pm on a Tuesday night, quoted a 45 min wait for a table of four. We opted to hang at the bar for a few drinks and apps- bartenders were lovely and apps were delicious (fritters & shrimp boil). We didn't end up getting seated until well after 7pm (approx 7:30pm). House manager was super cool and apologetic. It was definitely busy, but it also appeared the kitchen was slow. Our waitress was super cute and friendly, noting it was busy since the area had just been dealing with high humidity and warmer than average temps, and now outdoor seating was in high demand. We didn't get our food until approx 8:30pm- this included slow service on two cups of soup that were supposed to come out sooner than entrees. (Also, this may be personal preference, but the cream of crab soup is delicious in taste but the texture is always a little odd. It's thick like pudding! Take that for what you will, I still ate it all.) But like everyone mostly says in these reviews, atmosphere and staff are delightful- timing from the kitchen is a solid 2/5. Granted yes, high season and nice weather = longer waits, but we didn't leave the place until 9pm, which after being there since 5:45pm was a longer than anticipated evening! read more

We came at an off hour for an afternoon snack. Timing is good but I would expect to need patience if you come prime time. Reservations are taken for parties of six or more and done through yelp. Reservations are only for the upper dining room. Maybe a little touristy but also a place locals come. It is a great spot overlooking the inter coastal and marina. Fish and chips were good, shrimp boil was well seasoned, and the fried pickle app was plenty to share. Stacy and the staff were super friendly and the off hour visit provided us the luxury of lingering which is probably less the case during prime time. Definitely worth the stop! read more

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This review is difficult to write because there were things Rusty Hooks did very well. Unfortunately, a three-hour dinner with young children overshadowed them. We've visited before during the offseason and had a good experience, which is why we returned. We arrived at 5:45 PM and were told the wait would be about an hour. After a lengthy delay and a table change, we were finally seated at our preferred table around 7:24 PM. Our original table was directly in front of the live musician, making conversation difficult with children. To the staff's credit, they moved us inside and comped a few appetizers. The kids' meals arrived at 8:06 PM. The adult entrées arrived at 8:25 PM. We left at 8:50 PM. That's more than three hours from arrival to departure. The frustrating part is that the people were pleasant. The staff was friendly, and the manager stopped by to thank us for our patience. Nobody was rude or dismissive. The food was also very good. I ordered the combo platter with fried cod and fried shrimp, and it was excellent. Fresh seafood, cooked well, and easily the highlight of the evening. The problem was execution. This felt like a restaurant that was simply not prepared for peak summer demand. Great food and good intentions can only carry so much weight when a family spends over three hours getting through dinner. I hope the restaurant figures out the operational side because the food is worth coming back for. Based on this experience, though, I would avoid peak-season evenings. read more

Excellent food and service- shrimp Po-Boy was delicious! Server, David recommended Red Oak on tap, excellent choice. Highly recommend! read more

Tough dinner. I had steamed shrimp, which was overcooked. Then had a Poke' bowl worthy of a grocery store. Not worth even complaining! It was prepared as they intended. Its just not very good. Service is phenomenal. Overall the place seems great. I think I just ordered the wrong thing. I should've ordered fried food. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Poke bowl. Bare bones - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

I'm updating my previous review after speaking with one one of with the owners regarding recipe, etc. about crab cakes, soup, rum pirate drinks with a party of 5. I appreciate his willingness to invite us back for a meal! Zachary was a great waiter who patiently answered all of our many questions. Also, enjoyed the live music on the deck. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Skippers punch - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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They usually do not make steam little neck clams on Friday Saturday and Sunday till 2 pm because they have a brunch special going on. But they weren't very busy so the cook agreed to make them for us. They are delicious . The service was very good friendly greeting when we entered restaurant waitress was very friendly very helpful in getting us those delicious streamed clams. Her name is Jessica. We eaten there many times and always had fantastic delicious food. I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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The food was amazing and they were able to see two people as soon as we walked in even on a very busy night. The clams with the garlic butter sauce were amazing the fresh bread to die for! Also, a very generous, jumbo lump crabcake with no filler best food that we have had since we've been here the Miami Vice is also delicious both alcoholic and nonalcoholic! We were here for a week and we've eaten here twice! Also on the water so a beautiful view! read more

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Great service, I think her name was Maggie and she was newer. Fresh mahi was the catch of the day. Cooked well. Great drinks. Went at lunch and were seated by the water. It has a nice screened in area. I think it was a good place for lunch with kids. Server was very nice to our son. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Crab dip - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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Had steamed littlenecks in garlic butter broth here over the weekend. Delicious. The clams came with a good-sized hunk of baguette that was perfect for sopping up some of the broth after the clams were gone. Yum. It is hard to find a restaurant in NC that does steamed clams properly, but these folks nailed it. Service was excellent as well. read more

Called to make a reservation for 8 and they would not accept it. Even though their site says to call for a reservation larger than 6. I've seen in a few spots the restaurant is good for large groups. Yet you can't make a reservation? Doesn't make sense read more

I had the crab soup. Coastal dreaming and tongue slapping is this cream of crab soup. This is why food memories marinate in your mind. One spoonful and you're engulfed with a bowl that feels like a warm seaside hug. Rich and silky texture that lets every drop (and crab pieces) cling to your spoon. The crab is generous, sweet, and unmistakably fresh, briny joy. What I loved most was how the seasoning danced with cream without being heavy. Flavorful with a whisper of the sea that never got fishy or overdone. Pair it with the side of bread that has to be ordered separately. Nathan is an amazing server and sometimes offer you some kitchen secrets aka (sweet butter). I would give it full stars if a lil heat had been added...but that's my palette. Awesome outdoor atmosphere with plenty of seating to look over the water and a tiki bar. Must visit!! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Cream of Crab Soup - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

From Southwest Virginia to North Carolina the best food. If you like seafood this is the place. read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - From Southwest Virginia, Honaker Virginia to North Carolina eating at the best of the best. - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

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Great location on the Inter-coastal- waterway (ICW) , fun atmosphere, outside seating is available and home of the $20 nothing burger.

We ate dinner at Rusty Hooks on Father's Day. We did make a reservation and were seated promptly. We requested a table outside so we could hear the band. The atmosphere was laid back and fun! My husband had the Off the Hook Bloody Mary and really enjoyed it. However, our favorite was the sweet potato French fries with cinnamon butter! Amazing! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Off the Hook Bloody Mary - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

I love this place!!!!!! The food is always amazing. The staff is so kind!! The music during dinner with a calm radiate summer sunset!! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Always a fantastic meal ! Live music and a view as well! The shrimp burger is absolutely amazing and the crab cakes are the best in the area. Only a photo of the crab cake as the shrimp burger was eaten too quickly! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Crab cake, mashed potato and coleslaw. Presentation A+ ! - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina

Food was good and area was nice. Spacious seating! And our server was very friendly! The wind did make it a little difficult to keep everything on the table but that comes with the territory when dining outside read more

Ambiance food and service are superb Love the view from the patio Sunday brunch is amazing read more

This was the only restaurant in the area that was open on the Fourth of July, and by golly am I glad we ended up there! We were able to sit at the bar and order drinks, and they were extremely kind and wonderful at building a rapport despite the crowd. Once seated, we ordered a crab appetizer (not featured on the menu, look it up online), oysters, shrimp pasta, etc. Absolutely everything was WONDERFUL. 10/10 will come back whenever in the area read more

We visited Rusty Hooks on the evening of June 16, 2026. The location is beautiful, with great waterfront views that made for a nice atmosphere. We had a party of 10, so we expected a wait. What was confusing, though, was that there were numerous empty tables while several smaller parties were also waiting. It appeared the delay may have been due to a staffing shortage rather than a lack of seating. Once we were seated, it took approximately 45 minutes for our food to arrive. While we understand restaurants can get busy, the wait was especially difficult with children in our group. We were also disappointed that the restaurant would not accommodate a very simple request. My sister asked to have the fish served on the side instead of on the sandwich for the Fish BLT, and we were told they could not make that change. Throughout the meal, our drinks were not refilled, which made the long wait feel even longer. The setting and views are definitely the highlight of this restaurant, but the service and overall experience didn't match the quality of the location. We hope the restaurant is able to address its staffing and customer service issues so future guests have a better experience. read more

My wife and I had lunch here a few days ago. It was a great experience from start to finish. The receptionist was warmly welcoming with a fine sense of humor. My wife's jumbo lump crab cake was beyond scrumptious with an an abundance of succulent crab. My cream of crab soup was amazingly delicious with large lumps of crab. Grant, our server, was friendly and simply superb! He and I are fellow veterans and he took the initiative to offer a military discount. Btw, the water view was beautiful and relaxing. read more

My wife and I have eaten here a dozen times or so over the last five years, always had a good experience. The food is high quality for casual dining. Tonight the initial dining was fine. Met a friend and his wife and enjoyed a nice sit down meal. When I went to the bar to order take out for the wife the problems started. I ordered the food and a beer. I asked for and paid the tab and left a generous tip of %25. For the next 30 minutes not only did I not see any food, but neither bartender offered to check or even made eye contact. The 18 year old who claimed to be the senior manager on site when I complained was no help at all. Won't be recommending this place to out of towners anymore! read more

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We just had dinner at Rusty Hooks. It was amazing. Had wings and burgers and we all enjoyed our food so much. And what an incredible staff. I Met both managers and they were so nice and sure know how to manage this amazing restaurant. Had Sydney as our waitress and she was a true delight. So personable and helpful. My friends had not been there for years so they really enjoyed themselves. Music was wonderful. What a wonderful evening. Cannot wait to go back. Thank you for such a nice experience. read more

Food was delicious! Scenery was gorgeous!! Thoughtful service was above and beyond!!! We were seated very close to the band with a very young baby and they were gracious to realize how uncomfortable we were and reseated us. read more

Great place with festive atmosphere The food is excellent. The steamed clams are tasty read more

Amazing food and views. We ordered seafood and non seafood dishes and everyone loved the foils, atmosphere, and location. Definitely going back! read more

Great selection fresh caught seafood dishes and draft beers, can't go wrong eating here.

We were visiting friends and they took us to this wonderful restaurant! The seafood was so fresh and perfectly cooked. We had a fabulous server We sat outside by the water and the ambiance was also amazing! We will definitely return! read more

Great food and service Pleasant staff. Great location and bar. Parking is difficult. Take a left at entrance as there are more spot for cars before the boats. read more

Our overall experience at Rusty Hooks was pretty good! The customer service was excellent & everyone was helpful. We had about 45 minute wait for our food, which wasn't too bad since everything came out fresh. Food could have been seasoned a little more but overall, the food was delish. The restaurant provided lots of seating both inside and out. read more

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Great location on the water. Friendly and helpful staff. Food was standard fare, nothing that stood out as exceptional. Prices on the high side. Inside space and outside deck are very nice. read more

The Great Food, Great Staff, Live Bands, Outdoor Seating, on the ICW watching the boats go by. Whats not to Love about this Great place? Watching the sunset too, looking toward the Old Oak Island Bridge! Mother nature paints quite a lovely picture every night, and this is a destination to enjoy all here Beauty! read more

Made reservations for Sat 6th for 5:45. Upon arrival we were promptly led to an inside table, asked for outside seating and fortunately were able to be promptly seated on the deck with a pleasant view of intercoastal waterway ond boat traffic. Band played nice mix of music, service was great. Cocktails were prompt and reasonably priced. Ordered the Chipoli, thanks to Chef Dan for an excellent dish and my wife's order of Fish & Chips was large enough to provide her lunch for today. Prices were not cheap but you are paying for the food, service and the waterfront location. Checked all the boxes, will definitely return. read more

This was only the second time we have been, but it was fabulous again. They have plenty of outdoor seating which we prefer and the wait staff was fabulous, and the food was delicious. read more

Decent food. Tries too hard to be a "yacht club" establishment. Definitely geared to older crowd. Food service is good, but kitchen is very slow. In fact, kids meals were served 45 min before adult meals were served. Occurred on two separate occasions. But, for a beach location, you just have to suck it up. Decent food though read more

Jerk chicken was wonderful but more importantly Jessica our waitstaff was phenomenal, friendly and really made our dinner a great time. Highly recommend ask for Jessica! read more

We were a group of six seated upstairs and were told there would be great views, but unfortunately you really couldn't see anything unless you stood up while eating. The waitstaff was wonderful--friendly and attentive--but the crab cakes were disappointing. We were told they'd be made with no filler, yet they tasted fishy and seemed mostly filler with a few chunks of crab, especially surprising at nearly $40. Might be better not to set that expectation if it can't be delivered. read more

Awesome spot! Great food, Great atmosphere. Always a good time here. Had the fish tacos with the flounder and it was delicious...Will be back! read more

Rusty Hooks Dockside Grill - Seafood Near Me - Southport, North Carolina